No Regret
by BloodyAntares
Summary: "Citizens have takes to the street." "And now, citizens are crossing Zones, entering New Greenwich" "Others fear the system might head for collapse." And Philippe, Sylvia's finance magnet father told her: "But, don't fool yourself. In the end, nothing will change." Maybe, what he said is the truth, as well as so many untold wisdom from one who build and maintain the system.
1. Lost

His daughter and her newfound boyfriend run away with his million years, leaving him alone. These kids are too idealistic. How can they not understand that giving people money is not helping? A million years for one family makes its members almost immortal, but for two million people in New Dayton, the wrongly placed wealth only prolongs their agony for 6 months.

At first, extra time will bring satisfaction to those who never have so much time. But, in the long term? Obviously not.

Tik Tok. Tik Tok. Tik Tok.

Their time is running out.

The people, hiding behind crowds, are brave. They always have been. People have not changed much since the French Revolution in 1789 or the Paris Commune and the October Coup in 1917. However, revolutions are short-lived, especially compare to the endless time that promised to the rich. To him. The French Revolution lasted a year, the Paris Commune 72 days, and the October Coup happened 8th months after the February Revolution. Philippe is 110 years old. He can wait.

But, most civilians can't be as patient as him. Their life has been disrupted. They have no incentive to work with _months_ instead of _hours_ on their clocks. They will gather up and march for the richer zones with their newfound freedom, an aimless march of disorder and false hope. They have no leader, no knowledge about the system.

About destroying _him_ is _nothing._ Philippe is just a wheel belongs to the _clock._ He is only a mere member of the high council of the richest in each colony. The council that sets the rule, upholds the rule and rules over all that was, all that is, and all that ever will be on this planet. Phillipe is just an extension of their wills - of keeping prosperous until eternity and after.

Earning months are nothing compares to the power to generate time. A revolution of a shut-off colony cannot affect the world. In time, when the civilians' borrowed time evaporates to nowhere, the only way for them is robbing from others. The Timekeeper Department does not have enough human resources to keep those many criminals at bay.

Then, chaos will happen. Anarchy is the only outcome of his lost million years. In the end, more people died this way than just keeps the system. In the end, the strong survive. Among them, the faces belong to his social circle are the majority. Nonetheless, the survival game always favors the rich. They only need to wait and avoid thieves until the order is restored. Unless their bodyguards figure out: there is no rule, no string attached in this dread time and thus, stole from their own employers.

His thought is interrupted by the voice of his bodyguard, who has successfully opened his office door, who Philippe now fears. Fear that anybody, including his protection, can take his time.

"Sir" Constantine, his chief bodyguard, shakingly asks for his attention. Only then, he notices the non-stop ringing. Yes. Of course, all other mogul bankers around the world are calling him as they notice the corruption of his zone. Their investment here is at risk. But, the only one who actually gets hurt here is him. They only have investments here and there in this zone. He is the only one invests his precious time and work, so much work here. But, now, they, as the council's members, have the right to make the decision about him and his colony.

"Do something, sir" the guard begs him again. This young boy still believes in Philippe's unlimited power, so trusting toward his boss.

Constantine doesn't know the council has made its decision.

"It has already done" Philippe truthfully answers the guard, for the first time. Unsatisfy with Philippe's answer, his guard walks away, probably to try making an unnecessary call to Timekeeper Department. Unnecessary, as 50 people cannot round a million people and tell them to calm down and go home and go to work normally as they should.

If that boy was smarter, he would acknowledge the power Philippe wield here in this colony just vanishes, as well as Philippe's lack of focus on the lost million years. Or better, Constantine can have the wisdom of Philippe and see that now Philippe is afraid of his own guards and more important, understand the council's choice.

It will be a total lockdown of this colony from the world. This system corruption is usually thought of as a disease, waiting for its unleashing. Even as separated or a self-sufficing as a colony today, his colleague could still feel some of the blown. They don't like losing.

Philippe should act fast. The government will lockdown the streets after the council meeting. It is not protocol, so they need to be informed about what they can do, what technology they can use. A day is the longest time for him to get out of this zone without doing something riskier and more dangerous.

He has to act faster than them.

They will need someone to blame to soften the gossip from the rich of this colony and of the system. The system is still necessary and their best choice, while Philippe Weis is a bad guy, a bane, an incompetent tyrant who cannot even properly teach his own daughter. Oh, the bad blood of a newcomer and the stain should be cleaned after all these years. The council will hunt him down, "bring his crime to the light" and execute him as a sheep to be offered to God.

So he has to be untrackable.

What do you think? A world, when everyone has a credit card that controls life, cannot track people? The arm clock projects the content of a chip that was put into your body since you were born. Everyone has an identical chip. It is your identity, your national security number. And as a credit card, it also helps the government to track each member of the society. Thus, if your mother was tracked, the government would find out when she got pregnant and give birth to you.

He hates this. So, as the richest one here, he has set the rule of not tracking anyone to promote "an individual privacy right". The timekeepers of this zone cannot access that information before. For example, if they had had every time exchanging records, every human location, they would have found his daughter easily. However, this kind of knowledge can be abused by any lesser government. He has stopped this procedure. His problem is, the higher up - the council can easily overrule his old decision and use this data to find him.

Fortunately, Philippe is too paranoid about his safety. Maybe, too eager to learn, and also has a lot of time for it. No time before has he this thankful for the paranoid part of himself. He has a safe house, he can fake death for himself.

His path is cleared. He runs.


	2. Safety first

Safety has always been and continues to be his top priority. Things mostly work under his control, under his plans. But, someone as prudent as him must take further precaution for unpredictable events.

Money. Knowledge. Transportation. Safe place. Those things are necessities at any given moment. Especially now, when this region's system is corrupted.

Of course, he would not store all his time in one place. Who did that, anyway? He still has so much time, so many investments here and there. However, the time capsule is the only thing can be quietly taken out. He stored three hundred thousand years in a secret vault in the wall of his old junior partner-office 5-floor down. Only three hundred thousand years, he thinks as he goes down by elevator. He starts regretting of putting too much money in building apartments and factories. The elevator's door opens and stops his thought process. Good god. He climbed from the middle; now, he scares of not being the richest. That amount of money will be enough for him to live hundreds of years from now without doing anything.

He walks out to the empty hall. 60 years. Even his wife or his stupid daughter would not know nor remember this phase of his life when he was not a someone, but a small accountant. After all, most people died: for the few to be immortal, many must die. How the people agree on this system of time distribution is still out of his imagination. He would never approve this; he would fight tooth-and-nail for the tiny chance of being an offering for others' survival. But, he was born in this dreadful era, and soon, he understood the rule.

There is no rule but jungle rule, silly. The person who is stronger, smarter, more adaptable to this world will live on the weaker, duller one's suffering. Like Feeding Frenzy, the old video game, big fish eats smaller fishes. It is natural selection, even though, this system is created by human.

Call his belief in natural selection an obsession. It should be. Because it is the backbone of any other rule in this society, who gave this rule well amount of intention will flourish. Work hard, play less, never buy unessential accessories. A cup of coffee cost you one-fifth of your paycheck is not your thing.

Here goes his office. It stations at the end of the hall, as he had the lowest status then. Then, this room used to be his home. No house is needed when your body is so young and strong. He used to work behind this table until he could not open his eyes. Day, night, he could not acknowledge the time passing by as the room has no window. After all, knowing it wasn't important compared to his need for survival. Saving seconds by seconds, minutes by minutes, his voice carried more weight in the company in parallel with the number of stock he owned.

When he finished buying the company, he kept this whole floor for himself as a reminiscence and his own sanctuary. No one except him can walk on this floor, as only by using his elevator and having his biological identity, people can get into this room. The place is his and his alone. You can say that his now-office is where he works, but this floor is where his mind stays. Like his brain, his old office filled with ceiling and ceiling of drawers, from the bottom to the top of the wall; in each drawer, he kept something important to him; in some, there are data sticks (once. they had been called USB?).

All dirty secret. All record. All.

Most people realized the world is controlled by the rich. The worldwide residents were divided into hundreds of cities. Each city has its own tycoon ruler. Global population has shrunk from 14 billion in 2050 to about 600 million nowadays. People believe living close together increases their chances of becoming immortal. Low population made people clustered in a colony between 3 to 5 million people.

Too few people understand that colonies are the rich' farms of fresh time. Philippe has soon understood it and became one of those farmers. Actually, a very productive, very progressive farmer.

He opens the first drawer, where he stores a detailed map of this region. It is not a normal map, though, it is an old hologram. The hologram shows the 3D scheme of this city, from the sewerage, the metro to the rooftop garden.

Every route above the ground is not on his list. The council most likely choice is putting a hemisphere shield above the colony. The amount of energy required is hardly a problem, compare to the shortage of a human army. After all, it is 600 million people consuming what fracture produced for 14 billion people. This shield will prevent anyone with a defected id from going out of its boundary. It will materialize whenever a person walks near it. The council never intervened a colony's affair. The disturbance colony will be left alone until it reaches a new equilibrium.

The lack of human also means that the council can issue a droid army to patrol the city. Soon, he will take a deed that will make him its target. He should not stay here when it comes.

He takes the bags and places the map inside it.

Next drawer contains a transmit-blocker, specialized for the id. By his own eyes, Philippe witnessed how it works. Before today, the event only served as a grain of knowledge for him. From that day, he understands that the timer has to count pass zero to shut down a person's live. Actually, the counting down is one step in the process. Aiming to mimic a "natural" death, he has to have his time as close to zero as possible. At that moment, the machine blocks the system's command and shuts down his id transmitting wave at the same time. Receiving no transmission, the system mistakes him as a "death" person. Then, it stops tracking him.

Time-capsule is the following object he needs. Bringing a large sum of time out of its safes alone alerts the authority. But, a million years running loose will cover any smaller amount of time.

He understands that he needs the procedure, to get out of the city. But, timing down himself is just, scared him.

Do it. Do it. Do it. Part of him commands him with consistency.

The other part, just hate the solitude life. He will come to his safe house in the middle of Sequoia Forest, near Lake Mary. It is a middle of nowhere, and no one will go there. The forest, expands now more than ever, will cover him from the satellites and drones.

He will come back and rejoin society. Faking a death loses him his identity. But, some say, ones can hack into the system. Or, he can trade an identity with the transmit-blocker and money.

Someday.

He traces his time with his finger, reads the ridiculous amount that he keeps there.

9104:51:6:23:59:54

Philippe makes his decision and starts pouring down all the years on his arm. A long wait until the hard part.

0000:00:0:00:02:00.

He throws the time capsule into his backpack. Now holding the machine directly at his wrist, he waits for his demise.

0000:00:0:00:00:03

0000:00:0:00:00:02

0000:00:0:00:00:01

Now.

0000:00:0:00:00:00

Thirteen zeroes and he is still alive. He can't help but look and touch himself everywhere, to check if he was alive. His hands, his arms, his face. Philippe feels the wetness everywhere. Oh, he was sweating so much that he made a small pool in the damn seconds.

But, he is okay. No, he is great. He is still alive. He wants to laugh and just lays down right here., but his consciousness tells him to celebrate later when he has gone to the safe house.

He has to finish packing first.

Next, he packed 15 data sticks, each has all exchanges of his zone and significant event of the world in 5 years. The bright side of being an accountant in this world is "everything involves trades". What you do is recorded with time and place. And guess who can understand your deeds looking at a mountain of number? A good accountant. He checks over your tax papers, your investments and just penetrates your cover.

Of course, as a counselor himself, he gathers as much as possible information of his colleagues. Sometimes, he sends them his people, in other word, spies. Any person in his shoes is expected to do so, after all. Or all the old courtesy is lost.

In the end, he takes a look at his car's key collection and chooses one, before picking up the backpack and leave.


	3. Long way to home

Guess what, ancient technologies actually more advanced than the products of his time. His old electric car, from 2070, can go faster and further than its successors, which are surprising. It is also a really ordinary car with its grayish color, just right to blend in the slow and colorless traffic of New Greenwich. There is no rush. So, the timekeeper hasn't made the problem public. Well, they would have reported to him his problem, first. Then, to the clown in the regional council, most of them place too much interested in enjoying trivial life - sex, party, racing... Usually, he is the only one who actually does something and stops himself from abusing his power. So the region's body becomes a snake without its head, No one has the nerve to make a decision. And he has more time to revel in his car. Time is no trouble if you have no time. And a car recharges under the sun, he can go, like, forever.

But first and foremost, he chose this car because it doesn't have any GPS. It is the self-driving crash dilemma has stopped the producer to put on the autonomous system and the directing system, or so he remembers. Everyone is just freak out when they realize that the cars can sacrifice their owner. They completely forget that the cars are leaking people most confidential information. The system is his nightmare because it shows route based on the temporary location. As his enemies have full control over the satellites - including the GPS satellites, he would report himself if he drove a more convenient car.

Even the rich do not notice that their arm clocks and cars and phones also are GPS receivers, which provides government bodies information on their whereabouts at any time. He knows that from his own experience that councilor constantly abused the system to get blackmail materials or to get advantages of each other. In fact, Philippe once used his colleague's car's id to track her extramarital affair. The car cleans him from all trouble associated with his personal location. But the video surveillance all over is another problem. Will Salas and his daughter have successfully hidden from them. Unfortunately, his car is too big to hide, and he cannot pay for timezone changing without his transaction chip.

Philippe expected that he had to pass the Los Angeles River by going along the coach through zone 9 and 10. However, his daughter had already broken the border between zone 4 and zone 6 - the North Hollywood, which just happens to be his direction. How grateful he is for the damage Sylvia does. And he thought the only thing she could do is taking off his time! He drives faster and faster in zone 6, praying to god that the Timekeepers are kept busy with 1 million years went off the clock. They should forget every little crime likes changing timezones without paying and going over the speed limit with such a big problem. They should. They must be, he reassures himself.

Philippe passed by blocks of old private houses that he thinks was abandoned because most people cannot afford. Zone 6 was supposed to merge with zone 7 due to its lack of population. Soon, he recognizes the appearance of human with smelly fences everywhere. Without water and electricity, people still live here in horrible condition. He feels some eyes watching intensively at his car. He can help but stare at them. Dirty, and covered in tattered clothes. They are waiting for their death after losing jobs. People in zone 6 reserve more time than the ones in zone 12. It means that after being fired, they have at least a few months, to find a job, or die. It is a long and tormented death. Trapped between hope and despair. Were him in this situation, he would stop renting, and go here like them.

Sympathize or not, his back is burning under their looks. The white of their eyes seems whiter and brighter among their darkened skin. All of them. Fixated on his car.

They want to rob his time or steal his car, or more reasonably, both. They may have guns, his rational voice tries to warn him, and they can shoot the car, or worst, they can kill him. It is enough for him to press the gas, not dare to look back.

At last, he has reached the border. He avoids the barrier by going out of the road. The barrier is only for show. The real obstacle that stops people from going to other zones is the energy field." It is time". He whispers to himself.

"It is."

Philippe stops his car again. Laughing out loud as he has already been on the other side of the barrier, no energy field detected. He is out of his area.

"I am out!" He yells and hits the car horn at the same time. Now he knows for sure that the standard border only stops the chip bringer without enough money, not a machine with no detected human.

"At last." He rubs his eyes to stop his happy tears, but they still fall down. He leans forward, puts his weigh on the steering wheel, covers his face and tries to end both his crying and chortling. Finally, he can calm himself down.

Philippe wastes no more time and starts driving North, diving into the woodland.

As expected, the woodland is expanding. He doesn't remember it was this wide and green. Before, it was called Topanga Park, which was filled with shrub. Now, oak trees stand high and mighty along the street. Even the city is nothing compared to the force of time and nature. The northernmost part of Los Angeles was swallowed, chewed, digested and become part of the wood. Abandoned houses became hills for the shrub to take over. Big trees compete with buildings to get more sunlight. If it had not been for the special poisonous compound that made the street, he would not have a clear way.

Actually, the road isn't clear. It is a bumpy road. There are cracked that lined up on the broken street. Some parts have already fallen out. After all, no people go out of their zone, so why the government has to maintain the useless route? But still, his car can pass through it, and he still moves on.

The scenery turns into something more hilly after the last part of the city. He has to turn right to go west. Philippe almost passes the turn when he recognizes the road sign. He underestimates the change of nature. Well, no police, he can changes lane wherever he likes

Next, he goes to a flat desert, where his location is easiest to compromise. But he has already traveled for over 50 miles. The council just don't know where to look. Good luck, my dear old friends, he thinks. May you have your fun looking for me inside the city.

He travels in solitude and silent. Not dare to open music. It might be too loud, too recognizable. Philippe acknowledges his boredom, but his determination convinces himself to move on. It is begging him not to do anything stupid out of the bore. His thought wandering tries to find an intriguing topic. The desert is so vacant, devoid of any profound idea. What did he expect? It is just a vast wasteland of hot, dry and sand. "Fitting for an exiled beast that nobody like" his traitorous mind seizes the chance to scorn at the nearest object, himself.

Somehow, a poem keeps replaying in his mind.

'In the desert

I saw a creature, naked, bestial,

Who, squatting upon the ground,'

He didn't see any monster here. No ugly, degraded, less than human, stripped off from his wealth, his glory.

Only him here. Alone. Lost in closed walls that extended to infinity.

Held his heart in his hands, He is holding his misery right now. His fate is better than everyone. He is immortal. Stop thinking and it would be ok.

But the poem stucks.

And ate of it.I said:

"Is it good, friend?"

"It is bitter—bitter," he answered;"

But I like it

Because it is bitter,

And because it is my heart."

He is dwelling unnecessarily in the negative. His heart is bitter with something he can explain. It must be the loss of money he spends _years working his ass off._ Rather than trying to improve his lot, he is literally feeding off his own misery with today's event

Hell, he keeps thinking of Sylvia's words "Although I do wonder father, have you ever live a day in your life." Urgh, what is the difference between living and surviving, stuff like that? He is alive, and he will come back. In her thought, living equals risking her life, but it isn't. That is losing life. But he did risk his life today, more than normal. He knows the risk, he saw it succeed. He decides and he is alive.

What doesn't kill you make you stronger, huh?

But her words imply that he is a monster, who have no remote human emotions, who does not live, does not belong to his own race. The bare creature at his lowest. His thought really going for a loop.

The sun is setting as he reached an old reservation. Human used to be so populated before, so much that you can go anywhere and still found their signs. Manmade objects - car, traffic light, house - were created to serve them. There is an old joke, "9 billion people out there, and you still alone" Philippe is here alone, alone with the old ghosts of 9 billion humans. He can see the phantom of kids running in the street not even turning around when their parent scold. But the people are all dead. Now, the wide street, the cozy house, and the dog are just laying bare under the not so gentle, angry, hot, orange touch of the sun, wasted.

The sun, his last acquaintance, swells, releases everything it has and just vanished. The night shut in.

He will have to find a hidden location in a middle of a forest at night. Tough luck. A 5-hour-driving has turned to 11-hour-drive. He should think of the problem before. But he didn't. And he has to accept the consequences.

Mammoth Lake. 4 miles left. No bear, which is good. He almost hit some wild animals, though.

Here he is, on the side of Lake Mary


	4. No gain

Looking for a well-hìdden house in the middle of the night is not his good choice. So he decided to wait at the first marked stone, which looks like a holding hand. He had to drive 5 times around the lake to find it as the hole face the opposite direction with the road. Not to mention that the pit was filled with grass.

That is to find the first one only. The second one is not even beside the road.

Good Lord! He will have to go out of the car, walk out of the road in a jungle with no direction. Even worse, this was National Forrest before; no one knows exactly what kind of animals did they protect? He is definitely got himself in the territory of grizzly bears, or the more friendly black bears.

Food attracts bears, so he decided not to bring any. But, he also thought that the drive could be shorter; the sun should shine brightly when he came. And he can quickly hide in his basement.

The only conclusion is he has lost his touch and (temporarily) his meticulous calculation. Sylvia must inherit the trait from someone.

Philippe makes his decision. He lowers the back side window, making a tiny slit. Then, he shuts down the engine. The mystery of darkness terrifies him with tons of nameless and preposterous reason. Bear or fox or wolf may sniff your smell through that gap, a traitorous part of him threatens. Another part criticizes that he is trying to suffocate himself. Not to mention the condemning voice that keeps bringing up the lack of preparation and knowledge. However, they are all bark but not bite type. None of them has the bravery to go out and find "safe house".

He actually does not know the precise condition of the house. The house is supposed to operate without human supervision because Philippe does not have technical knowledge for setting up nor maintaining. There is no update because he pulls workers off immediately after the completion. He had never visited this place to protect the location's secrecy. All in all, the vacation he thought could turn into of nightmare, where he got nowhere to go, or just got killed by some pre-occupants of the house. Or the providing system had already malfunctioned.

He waits, and he waits, craving for a sight of sunlight to end his turbulent of thought.

The longer he waited, the more bizarre his imagination became.

And he cannot close his eyes for just a few seconds, to call for a halt of his thought. Is it the feeling of people in Ghetto? The uncertainty that their life might end at any other time would make they open their eyes all the time. Eons before, the phrase "living every day likes it is the last day of your life" had been the mantra of so many people. Now, there are people who actually feel their last day, do they live like their ancestor? He always wonders about people's judgment.

In this twisted reality, poor people are actually live off the farmer's time. Before his campaign in 2080, the only time producer is fresh young 25 years old. In other words, doomsday. Think of a couple raising their kid 25 years, and that whole family sharing a year, and don't forget the fact that they have to pay their bills. It is just a hopeless cause for anyone to reach the age of 26. For some, education is a luxurious desire.

What did he do? He convinced his boss at that time, there was no profit except for the pride of not being the laziest ones who died. Got welfare from world council, gained his old manager and higherup's truth. The amount of welfare is based on the number of people and an average life of 50 years old, enough for procreation. Just say, everyone lives because of that pocket money.

The society doesn't even need factory workers nor car drivers. The jobs are just there to occupied people's time and labor. And make the system seems fairer and rewardable. Work an 8-hour ship will gain you 5 hour (outside your time lose), so 2 ships cover your house, transportation, and food. You will gain thirty minutes or more per day if you choose wisely. And you will have enough time and hope to bear a child. More old people die, more young people grow up; it is how you make the maximum profit for the whole society.

All those time pass through the leader, and he chooses where to fertilize with fresh time - giving time to which company. His predecessors cannot help but greedily gather most of the resource for them self, which in turn flamed their subordinates' hatred and jealousy. Then, their demotion is just a matter of time.

He is an accountant, the best of his job. He tried to keep the number of his zone level in years. Number of people born and died (because of the cap population will not gain more money). Number of treasure for the rich here and there( because everyone can be replaced by a younger and smarter version of themselves).

But his replacement is slobby and chaotic and reckless and ignorant. And they call for things he would never compromise. They do deeds that are not in his book. And it works. Somehow, it works with his self-exile. With his disappearance, his lovely daughter only has to reap off his colleagues' fights. Everything he built could burn on such a short notice.

He does everything. And they dare to condemn him for stealing from them? And they dare to destroy his effort?

Let them!

After all, nobody blames the dead, and they are 6 months lesser from death.


	5. Movie and its effects

Philippe is wakened up by the burn of sunlight on his eyelids. All of his time and he still have to follow the forest's rule and woke up. It does not care for seconds or minutes, even hours are inconsequential. It only cares about daylight and darkness.

Last night, his tired mind drifted off, dragged him into the oblivion of sleep. Philippe could see in the front mirror the blank stare of his red eyes. He is not used to that much sleep derived from the day he took over New Greenwich. Setting his slump limbs on the ground of the forest feels likes he is using a different body that is not his. Maybe, he has crossed the boundary, the upper limit of his physic health. His body is after all over a hundred years old, and training never bothers his thought even if he was warned that even a young body needs its exercise to stay strong and healthy.

Philippe walks carefully on the rocky ground, trying to avoid sharp stones and bricks. High pine trees surrounded just towers on him and he hardly sees the second marked stone - a big head-shaped stone, that is supposed to be perpendicular to the car road at the first marked. Otherwise, the forest seems refreshing. The air is rich with the earthy dam smell. The leaves are singing their harmony under the lingering wind. It is a truth that the last time he goes this close to nature was almost hundred years ago since his last trails at university. And even at that time, he still had a textbook on his hands for he cannot lose a second and fail behind his classmates. So it is quite the first time that he looks at nature closely.

He sees the stone after 20 minutes looking around. It is quite close to the road. He can still see his car from there. Now, he has to walk fifty more step toward the peak on the right. One. Two. Three...Forty-nine. Fifty. Now walking along the mountain, he put his hand on it and trying to feel a different place. One hundred and fifty. Not here. One hundred and Sixty. He feels that the stone is not right. He pushes that place a little and he hears the machine sound! First the hand identifications, then the eyes and voices, which he all passed. The first marked stone rises up, and the elevator for his car is opened. So he has electric power and thus, every machine must work!

He feels like he is turning to a youngster again, running fast to his car and drive it to the elevator, and it goes down all by itself, bringing him to his underground hideout. "Mr. Philippe Weis, welcome home", a woman voice announces. It is his visual assistant and butler. The shelter actually operates under the control of that assistant as he has no such knowledge. All he did was searching for the schematic, the house plant, and finding constructors. And this house could do everything for him.

He goes through the tunnel and walks into his lake view house. Literally lake view. It is a two-story house that is built underground - under the surface of the lake. His living room has translucent-wall, so he got whole view from under the lake, but outside cannot see through. Other could say it is a fancy fish tank though. The house also has 5 bedrooms, a theater, a gymnast, and health pods that can check or even surgeon. Deeper underground, he even got a farm and processors to provide him a sustainable amount of various nutrition. Point of information, actually, this shelter can provide for around 6 people, and the manual setting is to serve that number.

"OK, Cortana. Change the house status, set to one person, male." He commands as he settles on the sofa, legs on the cocktail table.

"Housing status operate for one male user. Are there any other command, sir?"

Urgh, Philippe still feels dizzy with the lack of meals. His brain does not function as it should be - he even forget about needing food. Well, he doesn't need to cook here also.

"Cortana, I want a quick breakfast with an omelet and french toast, please."

"Your meal is coming in 5 minutes."

This kind of non-human companion has drastically diminished after the change, as human labor becomes cheaper and cheaper. Now, Philippe hardly remembers how much more competent and reliable machine compares to human. He can reach it everywhere in the house and it does do everything he needs. Just think of the time he can save not worrying of other's emotions and gossips that he is more contented with his work but not his wife nor his family nor those damn people that paraded around once a week. New Greenwich's parties. The endless nothingness that happens too occasionally just because rich people want to show off their wealth. He had a whole city of Gatsby, worse, they were overspending and they did not have their Daisy for waiting.

And he, himself did so to not become an oddity. No one said that others don't have his same reason. Philippe is just want to direct his anger at other.

He let out a long sigh of despairs. Well, what can he do but watching movies? He cannot connect to the Internet, as it would provide his exact location for his enemies. He waves his hand and turns on the TV. "Best of sci-fi," He said and scroll down the list. Philippe has no clue which movie is better than other, he trained himself to forsake his needs for entertainment a long time ago. They are quite time-consuming for someone who obsessed with living day by day like him.

Knowing that every film would have similar effects to his emotions, he chooses the first name that caught his eyes: Star Wars.

And a robot arm brings him his food is delivered. The introduction slowly crawls through the flat screen. He almost coughs out his first bite after seeing the word trade dispute. Even alien cannot stand boresome trade deals, and he thought buying cars from Detroit is troublesome. Maybe the movie is not that bad, it is relatable to him (which he surely would not relatable to the vast majority).

The bread and eggs are well done. Perfect timing. Perfect for his taste. Well, some of his preference is easy to translate to time, and nothing is better at keeping time than computers and machines. He quickly finishes his meal. He shrinks all his body on the sofa His chin propped on his knee, he leans forward trying to focus on the movie.

Ah, the villains are cowardice...Oh, forget it, that hooded lord Sidious seems to be a more reasonable main force of evil.

What kind of queen ask for her handmaiden confident? So, she is a decoy for that Padme. And that Padme dare to go to a planet of scumbags? She is the queen, another handmaiden can do that for her.

"Are you an angel?"

No. No, he is too young, he is like 6 years old. Philippe would not complain if they had the clocks, but they didn't. And the boy is kind of a slave.

So the slave and the queen get together. Another movie about a poor hero that becomes the love interest of a rich girl, and she helps him out. Just think of his daughter situation. If there were a movie at the time before, a sci-fi movie, Sylvia would be the rich girl that help the daring hero Will Salas to find his correct way of changing the system: stealing money from her father. Philippe is a villain in their story, well, the timekeepers also play the bad guy role. After all, only people who saturated in poverty are genuinely good.

But he is rag once. His father is a veteran who better died in the war to stop poor people from rioting because they have no food but come back with PTSD. Later, he killed himself when Philippe was two, too young to remember that man and his troublesome. His mother is a high school teacher, who worked two jobs to raise him. She had a keen understanding of the system, more than anyone at that time. She knew that nobody could live forever, she understood that his fate, marked by the clock, was like livestock waiting for his due day. She was the only person Philippe could trust. He went to university before most of his age went to their junior year, and with a merit-based scholarship. But it is not enough for her. She died in an "accident" after his graduation. An accident. His frame fall on the sofa, he hardly controls his emotion, every time he thinks of it. An accident, because the jury agreed that his mom didn't have any reason to die - no emotional nor financial cause. Her son just graduated from a prestigious university and already obtained a great job at the age of 19. But he knew better. She thought that she would have become a liability, she was getting old at 39 years old, close to the retirement age, and he, when she is 45 years old, only had a year on his arm. She died to give him her retirement plan and her insurance, which is around 70 years (once 5000$ equals 1 year) enough for him to live a normal lifespan.

She died for him to live.

It was her choice alone. It was her ideas that she had to protect her almost grown-up son by any means. And she would sacrifice. And she had gone. All he can do is living, living all the years she had given him.

The movie rant about the slave transmitter that can explode if a slave decided to run. Funny. He never thinks of his chip as a slave tracking system. But they sound the same. They forbid you to go far away from the city. They force you to stay at the place they want to (you cannot cross zone without money or specific jobs before system corruption). They control your death, either your time is out, or you try to remove it. He didn't realize that he is gripping his right arm wrist at the thought of the chip. Or at the thought of he, himself being a slave for time.

His transmitter was deactivated. It is alright to remove it.

He takes the butter knife and forces it to cut through his skin - through the fainted scar where it was put when he was a newborn. The transmitting chip is around half a centimeter deep. He can feel the hard surface of it. Dropping the knife, he uses his left hand to pick and pull the chip out of his own blood.

He sits up and walks upstairs, to the healing pod, cradling his blood smeared arm.

"Cortana, I have a wrist injury."

"Healing pod is ready for you." She answers

He lies into the pod, carefully put his injured hand down. The machine shows that it is scanning his arm for nerve and cord damage.

"No further injury." Great. It is such a relief. He already knows that slashing his wrist like this is stupid. He might lose control of his hand if he cut too deep, or he might die because he had cut through his vessels. But he has to take it out.

It starts with pumping an anesthetic above that wound. Then, some sort of medicine, maybe to sterilize the bacteria is poured around the cut. Next, the robot arms sew his muscle and then his skin back. Another robot arm, this one connects with a light. The light slowly heals each area its cover until the wound again turn to its old state - a faded scar. It still hurts, as the wound inside isn't healed, yet.

He wakes up and goes for the theater. He almost forgets that he has an IMAX cinema that is still running Star Wars in his house.


	6. Dream of the past

Philippe is walking in a maze of grass-covered walls, being led by a butler and the CEO of his company to the meeting of the world council. Somehow, the UN council has become meeting between companies' owners in the last 16 years. To be honest, governments lose their rights with the diminish money they got from income tax. Last 16 years, almost 2 billions people die, old and young. But nobody complains because everybody, we all want to be immortal, we think we would have a chance, nevertheless, all evidence proved the much-shortened life for everyone. He is no different, though. Besides, most people have no information as no news outlet dare to go against its rich owner. In the end, only those who born with silver spoons on their mouth can laugh. Just like his CEO, who would not take a glance at anything that is not pretty women, alcohol or his boats. The rich would laugh until they realize that their time is drying up - every one clock is being cleaned off too fast to mooching off.

Philippe knows his higher up never read nor touch any papers. Time has been easy for those fragile boys and girls who were too used to being the heirs and heiresses. Some of them even spend over their heads - to lose thousands days for a night party. He opens a company in that service with his mother's time so he knows. In the same time, he has accumulated over a thousand years and a half. He was a solid Director at the age of 25, and at 29 he was a Managing Director - 5 years sooner than usual (because he has no personal life and he dares to sell his life). He is doing their jobs already (soon they will be his jobs).

When they arrive, most of the counc il has settled in. Philippe praises his host for choosing this location, the huge garden proved his wealth when the maze just traps people inside - weaken them even before starting any negotiation. After all, that is The one, the richest man alive. The title used to belong to The One's father, but the old guy dies from a heart attack, leaving all his money to his heir. Forget all Philippe's claims about heir and heiress, The One is a brutal force to be reckoned with, as he had several degrees in science and tons of experience in controlling his corporation. He is smart and dangerous, but you can change him with good evidence and reasons when his father is just an immobile stone.

The One is actually the first person to have his gene being fixed to be young forever. The old guy's corporation has many patents in genetic editions, including the immortal gene and ultra-smart, superhuman,... At first, the old guy became rich with GMOs that literally solved world starvation, but of course, they just started projects messing up humankind's gene and controlled human race with their fancy plan of giving people immortality, for a price. They supervised governments in the exchanging money process. They maintain order with their droid and superhuman. It is not exaggerated when Philippe thinks they own the world and any other rich man is just their decorating.

That is why this meeting is important. This is the meeting when power is directed from the old generation to the generation that born immortal. That is why he just seized the chance and sent The One his plan of giving human more time, to not bring the end of the world too soon. The birth rate is at the lowest, the death rate is at its highest. At this time is sound normal, but 40 years from now, the youngest from the time before is at their 80, and if no one born any children, they only have around 2 billion people from the population surge from 2050 to 2060. If most of them have not timed out as they are supposed to have only 1 year. In this new world, calculating population is much complicated than before.

Philippe's CEO takes his seat. Only council members have their seat, as an assistant, he has to stand behind his higher up all time. And The One appears as all members stand up to greet him. He is supposed to be in his 40 but he feels young with his energetic and enthusiastic stride. Philippe stands too far to notice his facial character, but his tall and lean frame, and his dark hair color.

The One started the meeting with his deep voice. And that baritone sounds like honey - luxurious and warm - that lure everyone in. He starts with humble comments about himself and progress to acclaim his father works before he … asks for change. Philippe lit up from his bowing pose. The One goes on about the time lost, quoting Philippe's words, and he knows he knows that the most important man in the world actually recognize his contribution and nothing could remove this intimate moment out of his mind. He is shaking as each of his words would utter by The One.

The One ends his speech and asks for his incompetent CEOs to talk, Philippe gives him the papers that supporting this motion of creating an International Time Fund to generate an annual amount of time and to put it under the leash of the council, of changing the council to a no intervention organization, lower the anonymous count to ⅔ of the council member, of annual meeting. His higher up is doing great without choking on the words. Even with his brain, he should understand that it is The One's command, and with Philippe's preparation to blame everything on The One, he will not mistrust Philippe.

After the conclusion is the conference. His boss stands up and commends his paper, well, if it is to be passed, the man would have more money after all. But Philippe still does as plan, talking about The One mail or how The One thinks a like-mind, you, as his right-hand man. His CEOs loves and savors every praising words. He even publicly hugs Philippe before departing to find a woman to flirt.

Suddenly, Philippe feels a change in atmosphere, a sudden cold. He turns back and faces The One. The man is a head taller than Philippe, with a much squarer complex. He has a childish grin that imprinted on his face. Seeing that he has Philippe's full attention, his grin turns into a smile.

"You are shorter than what I imagined."

Philippe is too stunt for a smart remark. And his mouth must be open, as The One just helps him close his jaws. The taller man just runs his fingers along his jaws to his hair and scruffs it.

"I like your proposal. And I take it as your first speech at this kind of meeting."

Philippe has just collected himself enough to thanks for his compliment then said that he would transfer it to his boss.

This time, The One puts a finger to his lips to shut it.

"I am talking about you." "We shall meet again in the place where there is no darkness."

Then The One leaves again. How he can secure a minute alone to talk with Philippe is unimaginable.

And why he had to talk to a nobody like him?

The further he walks, the clearer his mind. Philippe realizes that he is dreaming.

Yes, he constantly dreams of his first meeting with The One. Yes, the proposal passes and then become the council's constitution. Yes, Philippe had long replaced his boss as the council member. But, no, he never sees The One again. The council hardly have any face-to-face meetings, because there is no reason for any change, or to risk life traveling outside their playgrounds is not worth it.

Those words come from the mouth of someone who drove hours to delve into the wood. So many fear for nothing it seems.

The problem is, now, everything is so damn quiet. No noise but his own breathing. No movement except the beating of his own heart. Only a burning sensation from the cut that keeps him awake. Philippe is still lying on the bed, having no reason to get up. One reason to not get up, injured. Second, everything can be ordered here. Third, no need to pretend tfo anyone. Holy hell, counting is making it worse.

Yesterday has proved that watching movies after movies is not his thing; he kept skipping frames and scenes, and he does not like documentaries about economic and political problems. And he has no courage to reach for something as related to his past as books. Yep, already thought of it.

Those last few weeks even better in comparison with today. Today, his mood is fooled

Now, he thinks that everything might happen because he wanted it to happen (because it is 60 years with no change, no new purpose). He can easily pay for Sylvia's ransom. It is only 1/50 his annual income. It is nothing. And he secretly felt gleeful when she was kidnapped, he always wanted someone to teach her a lesson (someone had to teach rich kids about real life struggling). Not to mention, he turned blind eyes at every effort from the Timekeeper to catch them. Treason. There are two reasons for his neglection. One, he didn't want Sylvia to get caught, either because their troublesome behaviors are his source of fun, or because of his expectation that she is growing up. to be a formidable enemy. Secondly, he might be a sympathizer to his daughter's cause. That is what reasons The One would believe. Philippe knows that one knows he hímself is not incompetent to lose. And treasonous to the system any belief about him both sound.

"Cortana, I want an apple." "1 minute, sir"

Hmm, not his problem. He is not on the battlefield anymore. There is no evidence for his involvement, it is just plain arrogant from his side.

The apple rolls on the bedside table from a tube. He pulls up and falls right down to the mattress because of the pain. He had already forgotten that he cut his wrist, just last morning. He squirms to the strong side then get up. He checks for under the bandage, a red angry line, and it is fucking swelling, hot and stiffed. Ah, he was very well-manner, so this is like his first deep cut. Philippe unwraps the bandage, let his wound out in the open air.

He picks up the apple with his strong arm and observes it. Artificial apple, of course. He could not have a farm that grows everything. But, he could still get a generator that 3d printing the apple molecular to molecular from wheat and sugarcane. An invention from the past too.

Test tube apple, test tube human.

He thinks as he bits the apple. What would he have done if he had a company that could make immortal individual? Would he change the whole world the way they did? Just no, he would patent the process then use it for a restricted number. They use it for everyone, but Earth's population was so high. The clock is that restriction, but what is the last number?

Test tube human, Bon appetite for the last rat standing.

Why did The One agree to his proposal? Because the old way is killing too fast, for someone came from dirt like Philippe, there is not enough time for them to change their social standing. Why don't they kill everyone when there are any problems in the colony? Because that process will kill any potential candidates for a new heaven on the Earth?

He knows for sure that The One thinks highly of him, so very sure with all the praises that he gave his first council meeting, and spies. A lot of rich ones from collapsed zones settled into his zone. And his wife, Michelle appeared in the right place, at such a right time. Philippe was desperate at his early 40s, he had climbed all the steps of his social-ladder. Stocks or real estate on the next level is restrictive. With double of what he has, he finally can reach those opportunities. An heiress that need a man to claim her inheritance just appeared among the immigrants with the number he needed. And she doses after him. So the broker sold himself with a marital promise. Because, why not?

No food for free charge, somehow she stayed with him for 70 years. It is just too long. Keeping appearance? No lover. Undying love? He never believes that scam. Spy? No one would be that paranoid to send any high skill spy that soon. Unless The One believes that Philippe is competent and dangerous. That is the elitist sign, then.

He knows for sure that The One is keeping secret. Too many high tech things came from his colony. Some colonies focus on the production of cars, some on clothing, some on minerals, but his area is on things like the transmitters, the industrial machine... And no face to face meeting might happen because others colonies are crumbling when technology keeps advancing there.

He knows that he himself had bestowed the power on that one. That day, The One also gained the power to generate money. How much did he created, and can the economy feels that change, if his colonies can self-sufficient?


	7. Uncertain

The more he stays still, the more he hates this, this new life. No busy schedule that he can hide after. No scheming, no plotting, no talking, no guessing, just nothing.

"Although I do wonder, Father, if you've ever lived a day in your life?"

Had he...? He was so used to shut down that kind of questioning thought. He did not have the time to ponder the rights or the wrongs of his actions. Because being correct is less than enough, that kind of thought is not feeding on "being correct" but it is based on "being morally justified".

Being uncertain on those edge between virtuous or cutthroat vicious in making decisions is expensive, sometimes can even cost his life. It is always about not getting emotionally attached to anything that could easily be lost to him, and anyone. A living and kicking human is no less expendable than dead subject. And thus, moral, after all, another human's creation, just worth even less than physical materials that can be sold when needed

The last-almost-revolution, there was a motto, once originated from a small newspaper and then spread out, was chained around Los Angeles: "The poor dies, the rich don't live." It is based on the thought that only animal fed on its same kind. Human is supposed to be different, no, above taking each other's time of living. let's not lie to each other, the average of an average person is designed to be around 50 years old. Those who live passed those years...

Like him. Keeping the time loop of a system, reset for every 25 years. When people are born, the system is designed as "easier time", low-interest rate, cheap housing, work are available. Then after that 4 years period, the interest keeps raising - to make people die - to quantity control. No less than 2 million people, no more than 3 million people to make sure the printed time to not go out of control. To make sure people are occupied with finding more time and living hand-to-mouth.

It is better than let everyone die, isn't it?

Isn't just throw away the system, came back to the time before better? They only have 600 million people in this world. Philippe had kept telling himself all those years, every time the system lower the interest rate, people would have more children, so if thrown away the system, everyone will want more children and the percentage of couples with a child would go up from 40 to 100 percent.

But, that is just a bad assumption. For example, he didn't want any child, either it is due to his loveless marriage, or due to his distrust in his own parenting skill. He just doesn't want a child. And his wife, why asking for a child after 40 years, while every month before she can ask at any time. That was 480 miss opportunity that he might not has to deal with Sylvia. Michele was bore, so she asked for one.

His parents, on the other hand, want his existence. Philippe can say that is due to the fact that they love each other so much, his mom could just throw away her carrier prospect, his father choose to put his life on constant threats to get enough money to raise him until his death.

What is living? His mother had wanted him "to be loved and to love another." She did not know that when she died, his world would never be the same. He would not care if anyone betrayed him, not because he is forgiveful. It is just because he did not trust anyone, not Michele, not his allies, obviously not Sylvia, so how could he feel betrayed? He is just extending his life days after days until infinity or until how long his body can hold itself together. His best before date has long gone, but his expired date is such uncertainty.

He watched the hologram of his mother's speech on the school where she worked again and again. She was a great speaker, passionate and full of charisma. Her shining blue eyes bring fire to the world. Yet her voice is soothing and calmingly taking people attention. That brings him to his sleep.

Until he was woken up in the middle of a phrase: "however, the world where you are growing up is challenging and disappointing. We grown up are not able to protect you from this new madness that people expect to be a utopia when everyone can have a chance to live young..."

She immediately changes it to how life would not be full of happiness and how challenges can affect those kids dream and hope. That is why he did not realize her sorrow when mentioning the clock and being immortal.

No..."protect"... His mom thought that she has a duty to protect others. What did she do? Everybody that is openly against the system would be terminated...

Philippe pushes himself up, and run off to check through the system. He had never done this before, to search for his mother's name in all the command created by the council before. After all, his mother is just a teacher, she should not appear there. But, she is usually very determined in having what she want, and in protecting others...

And a line shows before Philippe's shocking eyes:

"Susan, Weis, (Hansel and Gretel), 39 years old, journalist, columnists, revolution organizers:

Status: Terminated on May 19th, 2078"


	8. The Side Effect of Truth

"...writing provocative memo..."

"...planning and leading rallies..."

"..leading fund-raising campaign..."

"..proved hard to be swayed.."

The more he reads about her conviction, the more he realizes that he did not understand his mom at all. Adaptable. Communicative. Challenging. Idealistic. Stubborn. Wise. He can understand. He remembers how she believed in the innate beauty of all people in the world. He remembers all the time she tries to get him new friends times and times and times again.

But, these are different words. Bold. Cunning. Cautious. Fighter. Opportunist. Radical. Vocal. He could not imagine how his mother would pickpocket or charm another for information. He understands all her decision to not murder any in the government, about how everything had been non-violence.

To imagine that she would jump from a top of a highrise building to escape. She lived. She used to breathe and warm and lively with her idea of let-not-kill-more-people, of democratic, of individualític and self-growth. Of the clock.

"You are kind. You are smart. Your future will shine with greatness." She fixes his long shirt and hides the bright light of his haven't started yet clock. Even at that time, Philippe knew Susan did not like the clock. But he was more confused about her line - He has never been kind. Even when he was in secondary school when he first got bullied because of his intelligent. He has found out a way.

He helps them cheat.

"Give me a favor, and I would do your homework."

He told his bullier. Take my homework, show it to the teacher. She would know.

Of course, his bullier did not believe that. And hit him more. He took a day off and come back home. And then they got caught. They never get an A.

The thing is, the boys think that they choose their target. But it is actually Philippe, choosing base on their family and their own personalities, and their habits. After that, he just appeared at the right place and right time, waiting to be hit.

Next day, he went to that leader's house, who was in detention for lying, alone. One on one is the only time when people actually listen.

"Why did you come?"

"I told you, I would do your homework for a favor."

"The teacher knows!"

"Because you took my works, not the one I makes for you." The boy would beat his ass off if they were not in his house, right underneath his parent' nose, right after being integrated to spill out Philippe's name as his target of bullying. But the boy was scared and was convinced with the confidence in his bruised face. (and the madness sprinkling inside his eyes).

"We are not so dissimilar, Philippe." The boy said, defeated.

Then later, Philippe starts to make it be a group studying, where he taught the bad kids in school where he did all of their works, with them, protecting him as payment. Then, he takes more and more and started a small business of nerd kid doing homework for the bullier or whoever pay. He did not care where those people took money from. But he let his team of bullier has free homework. He would never get touched, staying behind his guards' back. His network becomes bigger even after he graduated from secondary school to high school to all the school in the area.

Everyone thinks that he is good with mediating the bad kids' behavior and being so kind to teach them and changes them. After all, they did not hit people as much, and not so open to public eyes like before. That is already acceptable for the teachers

He already had 3 hundred years before his high school graduation. His mom did not know the truth about his cold personality nor his agreement to beat nerd students until they work for him. Or how he took more area with all the school gang with more violence.

Philippe is a goodie. Manipulative. Persistent. A Liar.

And everyone thinks he is sweet, smart and suave.

"You are kind. You are smart. Your future will shine with greatness. You will bring change to the world." She would look at him, smile with pride.

And that would turn to a frown, looking at his life.

Isn't it?

It is easy to blame the system. Everything is the system's fault. He has no choice. He cannot do anything other than what he did.

One generation, maybe two. Everything will be the same. Nothing will change.

He will never change. One cycle. Two cycles. One hundred years. He never changes. Just burying himself from this scheme to the next scheme. To feed his hunger for more and more.

Look at what he did. Taking money from the corp. Taking life from the poor. Pushing people to the phase of killing each other by throwing out that one million years, by purposefully changing the password to something Sylvia knows, by not even care about his blood, throwing her away because he did not want to spend money to get hẻ. Everything was for his own unknown emotion.

He is a selfish manipulative liar, who lie to himself that everything is fine.

Close your eyes. Don't watch people die. Don't see behind the number that there would be a cold dead body that used to be warm and lively.

Don't watch. Deny. Deny. Lie.

Nothing will change.

Philippe wept.


	9. Interlude I, PERSISTENCE, OBSESSION

Sylvia has always loved her mother than her sire. After all, Mr. Weis has always been a distant figure, an emotionless shark who is always rushing away to work. He always prefers to spend his time at his company, gather more and more time. He would leave the house soon in the morning, and he would come home after midnight. He rushes away from the house as if he is not rich enough to live for thousands of years as if his wife and his daughter are worthless to him. He only loves himself, time and Darwin.

Michelle is much different from her sire. She is loving when he is cold. She is compassionate and patient where he is stoic and aloof. She always stays with Sylvia, even if she might not understand every question, but at least she tries to listen to Sylvia, tries to figure out what Sylvia needs and ensure her pleasant. This time, Michele also listens to Sylvia's reasons. Michele is the first person to open her mansion's doors for the wave of people from New Dayton. She provides them with housing, with warm blankets, with meals, with even more time. She lives together with Sylvia's people, and Sylvia appreciates that.

Sylvia would love to see her sire face, the one who again, runs away from hardship. He disappeared right after their encounter, without leaving even a word to his wife. What a coward! It is only three days since his disappearance, but something makes her unnerving. Well, the border between zones has been abolished. No Timekeeper has done anything after the death of their head, Raymond Leon. So, Sylvia can walk under the sunlight again. Even though, now, she feels attacked by the staring eyes of the rich here. They try to be polite to her, but distance is kept. However, Sylvia can understand New Greenwich's citizens' distrusting. They are uncomfortable with her people, because of all the stereotypes. They are uncomfortable looking at her because she used to take money from her sire, and they feel that they can be the next target. Yes, but there is still something, something more that worries her, more than those wondering and fear-bound eyes.

Sylvia comes to see her mother for comfort and wisdom and reassurance as always.

She easily gets into her old home-sweet-home, especially in the cover of the dark evening sky. Passing through some unfamiliar faces, she finally reaches the master bedroom. Its doors are wide-open, let her see the usual elegance curve of her mother. Michele is sitting on the balcony, looking at the sea, as usual. Time has been kind Michele, she is still fit in any high-end fashion couture, just as the white princess dress she is wearing. She is sitting so still that the only motion is of her flaming red hair, which Sylvia inherited, flowing in the wind. Michele looks so innocent in that white clothing, and maybe she is naive with her ignorance of the whole universe outside New Greenwich. If she can see more, she might have the same actions as Sylvia, isn't her?

"Mother!" Sylvia softly cries out. After all, it has been such a long time since that destined night party. She is supposed to be emotional. She can be that emotional.

"Sylvia!" Her mother turns back and hugs her tightly. Sylvia never forgets this warm and firm and secured feeling in Michele's arms. Like every trouble in the world just suddenly dissipates at the same time.

Michele looks at her from her head to her toes, worry and happiness filled her eyes. "You are still good, fortunately! And you are finally back." Michele lets out a huge sigh of relief.

Sylvia just smiles by her habit - Sylvia is well-trained to smile at anything. It is because of her burning desire to correct Michele in so many ways. Sylvia's life is not jeopardy because of all the poor people as her mother would think. Her dangers always come from those wealthy who gains privileges and profits through the system, and thus, being threatened by her small coup.

"At least, I have one of my loved ones back," Michele says, further disturbs her daughter's emotion. How could she still in love with that monster is well beyond her grasp. And Sylvia's patient runs out.

"You are so blind! He is such a cold-hearted and a coward person. I can take it that he is your Charming Prince, with all the time he has, but he left you, and he never care for you! He doesn't deserve you!" Sylvia rants through Michele's shocking face. Her mother must think everybody would love her man, but seeing Sylvia harboring such hatred toward her beloved must hurt her.

"That is all?" Michele warmly smiles, which unnerves her.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you should look closer to us, maybe things happened differently than what you thought?"

"What can be different? He is the one with the money and the status! Every girl outside would swoon over him, and that might be the reason why he never came home for us!" Sylvia feels even more anger.

"Ah, that cannot be further from the truth, Sylvia. I love your father, he doesn't love me..."

"You even admit it!"

"But he would not cheat," Michele firmly states over Sylvia raging words," because everything he owned today, he owned them to me. I was the one with money and status, he is the Cinderella coming from rags."

"It is impossible," Sylvia says, because Philippe was the slowest of the slowest preparing for everything, unless when he needed to run away from this house. Her people would know how to run, how to appreciate the passing time, especially time with their family.

"He is. From what we spoke together 70 years ago, he was raised by his single mom - Susan Weis. She did 2 jobs to raise her prodigy son. And then, she died when he was 19."

"Being an orphan does not entitle him to make the world suffer for him! Or to excuse him from having any mistress" Sylvia tries to keep her ideas.

"It deeply traumatized your father. He has not had any love interest before me, or after me, or dare I say I am not even his love interest. I can say that because I took his first kiss, and he is a virgin who knew nothing in our wedding bed."

"Ew! I don't want to hear about my parent's sex life!"

"Yeah, but you are so determined to think that your father is an adulterer."

That does cut her thought. It seems like she knew too little about her parents. She thought that her parents met each other someday, and soon after, she was born. But they already have had 70 years knowing each other. She thought that her mother was the rag and her father is the rich, but it is actually in reverse. She knows nothing about their past.

"He was a mid-level manager when I met him, a position allows him to be rich, but not enough. I told him that if he married me, I would give him the money he desired, and he sold himself for me already, because he knew it is his only chance." Michele continues.

"How could you love him?" Most of Sylvia's anger has gone, giving space for the growing curiosity about all the unknown things. She softly askes her mother.

Michele looks dearly to Sylvia's eyes, caressing her face. "You have your father's eyes, don't you know?" she sighs and explains: "Right now, you have that burning passion his eyes once had before he feels contended with his fortune and the world around him. The passion that says, I have to change this world. My life has always lacked its purpose, and I was attached to that look of your father."

"But you said it died out, why would you stay?"

Michele gets stunted, she changes her look's direction to the darkened sea outside. "He always runs away from home, because he can not love me, he can not please me with sex or anything else, he can not face the fact that he sold himself even, he also can not face the truth that his life out of work worth nothing. At first, I force him to do some "night time activities", but it also bored me to do it with a wooden figure. At the same time, I would feel confident that he would do nothing against my interest. But, it bored me, so I stopped doing that. And he runs away again. I could not stand being alone, so I asked for a child. It is you."

"You are staying because of me?"

"No. I hope that you could bring him back to me."

All her world shattered before her eyes. She thought her mother loves her more than anything, but she is actually chasing after some shadow, that might not even exist of her sire. Losing to some unworthy people who does not even try to fight is definitely suck!


	10. Raymond Leon (1)

Philippe thought that he would need to connect to The Wayward Millionaire Freddrick Heithecker as soon as possible, well, because he is wayward, unpredictable, crazy and vengeful toward The Council. The runaway tycoon is so sure that Freddrick would be intrigued by his case to overthrow this system for good, and thus, support Philippe's _muscle shortage without condition._ Philippe will have no trouble to gain back his old connections those seeds he had already planted in his own city long before. However, his people are mostly lawyers, journalists, doctors, who hardly have any power to stop the Timekeepers or others to tie him up and give him to The Council. He doesn't believe in his bodyguards as they stayed in the household far too long under the influence of the unknown elements, his wife. He does not want somebody who would thrust a knife when he turns away.

However, everything turns out much better than his imagination. His face is all over the city, demanding him to lay low, and the hell if he dared to walk on the surface anytime soon. However, the underground system is not something people updates theỉr data. Philippe is testing the water. The maze under the city, even with his map, can be tricky, as almost a hundred years had passed. There is no way to be sure that any pathway had been destroyed by whatever the reason. Somebody used to live there in the time of Hunger before his birth. Somebody used those drainages to hide from being chipped. These people, they had been raided by the government or the mercenaries of Carleton Biotech Inc., whichever forces, all tended to overly use firepower, which destroyed thousands of things that were not been reported due to propaganda to protect the image and that institutions and their actions

He tries to bypass the distance of 7 km under the metro of zone 12 and zone 6 to zone 4 on foot to get to Freddrick's private apartment first. Due to the nature of his world, facilities are supposed to serve much more people, of course, everywhere underground is f*cking lit. The soft, blue-white light laminating on the dirtied cover similarly bland white endless walls even tiered him more. Or into the railways, Philippe is easily be swallowed by the complete darkness if not for his lightning watch. In, out. Light. Dark. Black. White. They tirelessly replace each other in that tunnel. Regardless, without right maintenance, everything metal - the telephone booth, the railways- is covered in dust and rusty old reddish color, just the same with this dying world lingering on what used to be. And he, the forsaken hermit, covers his face with a mask, hides under the black hoodie, hopes to not disturbs this ruin more than displacing the dust and to not calling out any attention from anything, anyone.

He is not sure if anybody still hides underground like the day before. It is against the urge to get closer to other; however, for a person without worrying about the clock, hiding here is inevitable as nobody is here to ask any hard to answer questions. But, it also means, they live against the law, they are surely criminals, aren't they?

Philippe ironically curves his lips to a smirk. He is also a criminal, now. His face is everywhere. His arm shows a daring 13 zeroes underneath the thin sleeve. "Clink". His smirk is stopped suddenly because of the sound of something metal just drop on the floor. Fuck! He turns around too slow to see clearly, but still, enough to recognize a movement. He is fucking followed!

Run.

It is nothing funny if you got stalked, especially if your head worth something, which is a great motivation for your stalker. He has to come up with some plans as soon as possible. Running straight is a race of time, of who can last longer. Using the map, he suddenly turns for the maintenance door. Slamming it shut behind, he quickly climbing upstairs into the chamber, trying to smash everything he sees on the ground. Still, the race does not last very long, before reaching to the ladder to get out of the underground system toward a restriction property in zone 12, he got tackle down on the ground.

After all, his bones are over 110 years old, and he did not need to run in the last 70 years, never. Despite being hurt by the sudden fall, he still tries to struggle to get out of the person on his back weight. This one knows his job, he already takes Philippe's arms behind his back, for more control, and, maybe for his time.

"Sorry to disappoint you, I have no time at all!" Philippe triumphs as his 13 zeroes would be enough to discourage any thieve.

Philippe can feel the surprise of his offender as he rolls Philippe's sleeve up. However, that suspend has stopped too fast. The person quickly sits on his arms and then turns his face back, and throws away the mask.

"Philippe Weis/ Raymond Leon" They yell in surprise at the same time.


	11. Raymond Leon (II)

It is unexpected. Philippe somehow got caught by a Timekeeper! But somehow, the stoic Timekeeper also not as unmovable as he has shown. Mr. Leon just drops off from Philippe's back and then pull him up.

"I don't know that you can run."Still painting from the long chase, Raymond suddenly asserts a question, which doesn't sound like the integration Philippe expected. Why he attained his 13 zeroes must be more interesting. On the other hand, people run every day, trying to have their ends met.

"It is weird that you say so. May I ask why?"Trying to gather his calm with his mind's rising defense of questions is hard. Oh, so many questions.

"It is just a question of interest, Mr. Philippe Weis, you have time, and on our latest record, you had one million years lost around the system. I would say you used to be the richest around here. Why do you have the need to run?" Raymond asks hastily.

"Everybody runs." Philippe shrugs, dismissing Leon's absurd notion.

"Not in New Greenwich." He pushes and Philippe pauses, trying to recall anytime his surrounds walk faster than normal, but came back with nothing. No wonder he never fits.

"They don't? I do not remember that. Employees used to be quick when I was one. Later, I thought it is just them practicing their "gracefulness" in front of me."

"Did you came from New Dayton?" Even a stranger knows. The understanding look, the open conversation between people with shared identity and experience. Raymond Leon came from New Dayton. There are, of course, no matter how rare they are, "better" person who can cross the border by choosing the right route and doing all the right steps. That is the world Philippe helps created, and now, regrets.

"No. I did not. There has been "new" before the name because they are new. " Philippe just shakes his head of his mixed feelings: he feels ironic. He left for almost a hundred years, and somehow people can detect it. No wonder, the whole council pinned on him. They can smell the rusty smell of ghetto on him. No wonder, he feels regret, because he cannot just leave his past untold. "Los Angeles's downtown, close to the Finance District to gaze all the things in this world, but far enough to not touch anything." He tries to crack a joke on his upbringing.

"Brighter than Dayton then?"

"Depend on what you call bright. There has been a famine that lasts for 20 years before my birth. And then they replace the starvation with this system, and we all thirst for time. I have been more or less fortunate ones, as my father out to shoot enraged poor civilians for the rich."

A dry laugh came from Raymond, yes, Philippe chooses to enrage Raymond Leon because of his own curiosity, and of course, his courage gots strengthen by the inaction from the law-enforcer. Timekeeper, those might come from anywhere just to do the dirty work with the poor, for the rich. Their duties are with the poor people, thus they would not patrol in this place.

"Well, there must be someone to continue the tradition, don't be ashamed of it. Me, what I did for my rich. You, it is your job. Then, why are you here, why are you asking me so many questions when you used to threaten to catch me if I worked with Sylvia? I am running around with 13 zeroes, which is against the law, not to mention all the board showing my head worth a fortune right now. Why don't you turn me in?"

"13-Zero. It should be the end for everybody, so why appearing with 13-Zero is against the law?"

"Everything is electronic, which means they can be faulty. Stop the trigger at the right time, or any damage to the trigger can stop the clock without killing the person." Philippe reminds himself to remember his dishonor place and not letting too much top secret information out. Especially when being interrogated by a cop.

"So did your 13-Zero come as a surprise or a result of your trick?"

"I... " Then, a thought crosses his mind. "There is a mistake with your clock! You are not here unintentionally, you are here to hide because you also have 13-Zero."

"50 years being a Timekeeper, I have never seen this abomination." Raymond softly murmurs. In Philippe's read, Raymond Leon's loyalty to the law is unyielding. He follows it, he upholds it, he becomes the law. Then, all hell breaks loss because of one million years in the system, and he himself is an outlawed being. A loss of identity.

"Don't feel incompetent. Most tricks happened long before your 50 years. I happened to be the only one left who knows one way due to my position."

"So you chose to have _this._ But is it better to be able to mix in the crowd like your daughter or stay behind your bodyguards' back? Why the government is hunting for you for 50000 years? Even our lovely couple just worth 10 years."

"It is a long story."

"I have my duty to at least follow you. Anyone worths that much is dangerous for the society."

"So you would not turn me in. You can't hurt me." Philippe's statement is returned by silence and a sudden grip of Raymond on Philippe's arm. Philippe has never won any brute force competition.

"I see. But it is a long story, do you want to come to my home and talk about it along the way?"

"Move along, Mr. Philippe Weis. You have a long story to tell."


	12. Tolerance

This chapter is devoted to Lirael001 on Wattpad, the first person to comment on this story.

"This complex is too cold." Raymond quivers, yet still closely follows him walking through the barbed wires fence and walking into a maze of gray walls and darkness just like Kwow Long Wall city

"The cold is supposed to stop people from moving in and live here. As these "city" can sustain itself with geothermal electricity and water pumping, it is preferable to use it, rather than moving in the New Dayton apartments, where you have to pay for all those things."

Philippe calmly speaks and turn on his watch light. Even with his memory of traversing this maze, the darkness makes all those similar tiny hallways that barely fit two people alongside, and staircases and turns harder to distinguish

"So, why not just demolish this? Isn't it easier to make the problem disappear than wish for the best?" Raymond raises his voice over the dripping water drop.

"Because I did not let anyone do that. Besides, it did not belong to any zones, so destroy it is not necessary."

"Mr. Weis. Your answer raise at least two questions. One, why did you not let anyone destroy a ghetto complex closed to New Greenwich. Second, how did you have your way and make people not destroy this "city"?"

"I like you, Raymond, you caught up fast."

"When did I let you call me Raymond?"

"Oh yes, since you assure me that you would warrant my arrest if I contact my daughter, Timekeeper. But you're not a Timekeeper anymore, and I am not the shark loaner right now. So let's go by first name basis."

"We are getting out of the point. And you have been trying to fish information from me the last hour without actually giving up anything."

"Your questions are on point, Raymond. What do you think would be my answers though?"

Raymond just gave up on him calling his first name. He signed and answers.

"You said that you came from a ghetto, your confident walk shows that this is your neighborhood."

"Yes, it is my home sweet home. This is what my mother can afford after my father was released from his work due to his mental strain."

"I see the attachment. how about not having this demolished? You seem to not have enough power to get Miss Weis out of trouble, the last time we speak. The only thing you do was calling my boss in the Timekeeper department and pester me to finish the case sooner." Raymond waits for him to open the door. "This is bigger in my consideration. Not this apartment, this is so tiny!"

Raymond looks around the living room when Philippe turns on all the lights inside the living room. Everything was painted in white or beige color to make the room look bigger. Even like that, there is not enough space for the dining room. There are only enough space for a small couch, a table and separated by a bookshelf, a tiny kitchen.

"The required living space Act was abolished in 2036. I brought that back into consideration in around 2095. A two-bedroom-apartment should be bigger than 80 square meters."

"Well, this is indeed cannot be 60 square meters. It is even smaller than my studio apartment. Anyway, you brought a law back? But..."

Follow him, Raymond put his shoes on the hanging shelf. Philippe just shakes his head and went to take a cup of water for Raymond. Then sitting on the couch himself, flipping his hand to turn on the screen on the other end of the room, showing a fake-picture of a window. There is no window in most of the house of this complex. He is used to it, but the younger generation ... not so much.

"Are you sure that I don't have enough power to get Sylvia back without a charge? What do you know about the bureaucracy of the 12 zones?" Philippe finally speaks, but in a way, he never likes to speak

"I mean.. Ok. There is the _trias political, or s_ eparation of power by the judicial, the executive and the legislative. Everyone has a vote for the heads of each zone, and these heads vote for the colony's council, the council appoints the judge."

Oh, the naive of a normal person. "Does many people turn up for voting?"

"I believe it is a no, after all without a daily job for 8 hours, most people in New Dayton will be dead. So they cannot turn up to the voting booth. You mean, only rich people voted?"

"Yes and no, the election is always rigged. Nobody has enough power to create a check for those votes. It has been the same people in the council every single year since 2110. Do you know the names of those people?"

Raymond has tried to speak for several times but then stop in the middle.

"I cannot seem to recall. This is really bad, isn't it? I should have been able to tell their names, but all the paper was signed with "by the power of the Council." anyway. And only the head of zones was announced..."

"The Council makes law based on existed law of the country and the Commission of States in 2100. Do you know about the Commission of States?"

"What States? Sometimes I did see different cities names underneath some VIP, and then there is the airport, so I guess there are different cities outside of the 12 zones. Wait, I am a government's officer for 50 years! I was supposed to know more than you."

"Not necessary." After all, Timekeeper live days by days, they also do not have enough time to ponder all the mystery inside the government. That was what he did, the ones with the guns works for the government would not ask anything, those who know things do not have the guts to go against the government.

After taking a deep breath, Raymond makes a statement, not a question "You are in the Council."

"Even worse, I am the head of the Council. And as nobody really wants to deal with the ruling jobs, everything is thrown to me. I can do what I want unless the colony collapsed."

"People die every day." Raymond looks at him, his eyes filled with rage.

"Average life-expectancy of 75 years old for the whole 12 zones and average life expectancy of 51 years old for New Dayton are the highest number in the whole system. And it is better than all of us died at 26 years old like before the Commission of States." He levels his eyes to look directly at Raymond's eyes." I did my best considering the system. Anything, that will not be the thing that I regret."

"What I regret is I followed the system."


	13. Chapter 12

"I mean, I don't usually have time for regret." Philippe, scratching his lowering scalp, to remotely regret like these days is strange to him.

"You worth eons. And you said you don't have time to feel?'

"My job as CEO took me 6 hours a day. I spent 4 hours doing all the administration work, 2 more hours for whatever dinner party to fit into the elite circle, 2 more hours for scheming. Every day, including weekends. Really, I had no time to look back."

"Indeeđ. It is always chasing after tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow."

"As if you could live until tomorrow." Philippe laughs and looks at Raymond eyes to eyes. " There are tons of accidents that could take your life away. How do you know if your lovers, your family or your employee just take your time when you asleep?"

"You are so distrustful, even toward your family. Is that why you don't do your best to get Sylvia out?"

Raymond talks as if he was testing the water, carefully and slowly. That does get to Philippe.

"I had access to the locations of all people inside the system." He sighs then blows out the secret he has been keeping for the last 60 years.

"You could give that to me on the first day or any other day!" Raymond starts scolding him. "That would help a lot to catch those criminals. Hell, that would certainly make sure nobody went out of the line."

Hearing the word "out of the line" cringes Philippe. After all, the Timekeeper Department always underfund and not equipped with enough information. He collects himself and explains his uncomfortable about giving out that kind of information.

"I told myself that was against my own rules of intruding other's privacy. And did you think that knowing all the clocks' actions and where-being would be too all powerful? You cannot hide from me with that clock. You cannot do anything without thinking about your overlord - me. I really don't like people to suffer more fear, their short existence is enough to care about."

"Ok. I get your point. You are against being too much of a cruel dictator." Philippe has to roll his eyes with that dictator word but let Raymond go on without an excuse. "If you are so against that option, you could have limited that to your daughter's case only. She is, after all, your daughter. You should have done everything to save her like your word."

"And that action alone could raise too many questions about how I get that information. However, I certainly could throw one thousand years to save her that day. That is nothing and I could take that back in no time. But I still not do that." Philippe tries to avoid talking about him not treating Sylvia as he should and instead talks about the paradox that confused himself for this whole time. Why?

"I knew that she would rob my bank, I could raise more defense. I could hire people to just take her back. But I did not do that. I could change my password to all things in the world, but I chose something she thought I like."

"So I was right? You were her accomplice?"

"Don't be ridiculous! I do not believe her small resistance could lead to anything."

"Me too. That was too easy to be true. If so, I would not want to believe they could actually win something I could have done 50 years ago."

That is impossible. Even though Philippe did try to brainwash and redirect people's mind, humankind can not change from a violent and passionate and wild race to become domesticated and obedience. _'The star dies, but the light never dies; such also is the cry of freedom.'_

"How long have you been in the force?"

"50 years."

"And you did not remember anything come close to a revolution? Even though I would say the last 60 years are quite peaceful, but to say everything is in order would be a lie. The Economic circle makes sure that any problem would arise whenever interest rises. "

"I mean, there was Will Salas's father. He fought the gangs around zone 12. He was not able to get to any higher up zone before he died though."

Will Salas family. That New Dayton resident, how did he get to the city's center? He related to Henry Hamilton's death. Henry Hamilton... he was one of the smart heirs, still not want to dirty his hands with the ruling procedure, still wanted to scold him about human's right and extending time-life. Actually, with Philippe understanding, Henry's death - or maybe his suicide, considering his appearance in New Dayton, is predictable. Some person does not want to live...

Hm. Henry Hamilton inherited more than a million years. He did not have an heir or any close relative. For Philippe's plan, the more money he has, the better his situation can be. He should find those years.

"What are we going to do now?"

"Why do you need to do anything, Raymond?"

"I don't know, Weis. My clock ends. I expected myself to die then. I don't know what to expect now. You know, my outer appearance got frozen, and my mind, then, it was static, it was stuck on wanting to live more, for just one more day. Now, when my clock comes out of the picture, that life signified nothing. My liffe signified nothing. What should I do now?"


End file.
